Dion Waiters was a multi-level scorer in college and the NBA. While his career didn't pan out as expected after several incidents, most notably several instances of being caught with cannabis at the time the NBA prohibited its use. However, Waiters still found himself as a member of the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers who went onto win the NBA championship in the Orlando bubble.
Since then though, Waiters has been out of the league and battling some mental stress in the process. He's attributed his three-year hiatus from the NBA to his bout with depression.
"I went through some sh**," Waiters said to Bleacher Report. "Depression, anxiety, and just not knowing my future. It got serious, bro. I had to get a therapist. It became overwhelming and too much to bear. I now talk to a therapist every Wednesday."
"I just wasn't having fun," he said. "Sh** was dark. Some days, I'd sleep in the bed all day. I had nothing to look forward to. I wasn't working out. It's a mental battle."
Waiter continued, "I never understood what depression was until the last few years. I realized I've been enduring this pain since I was a kid. My dad even fought depression. He had a bad attitude coming up. He would tell me how he tried to hurt himself, but that was something I couldn't understand until I saw a therapist. I felt all alone."
